Why Your Photos Look Flat (And How to Create Depth)

Have you ever stood before a breathtaking mountain range, taken a photo, and felt incredibly disappointed when the image looked flat and uninspiring on your screen? You are fighting the fundamental limitation of photography: turning a 3D world into a 2D image.

To fix this, you have to trick the viewer's brain into seeing depth that isn't physically there.

The Power of the Foreground

The easiest way to create depth is to include a strong foreground element. If you are shooting a mountain, don't just point your camera at the sky. Get low to the ground and include some interesting rocks or flowers in the bottom third of your frame. This gives the viewer a sense of scale and distance.

The Assignment: Take a landscape photo at eye level. Then, get down on your knees, find a foreground element, and take the same shot. Compare the sense of depth between the two.

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